Reunion
by BlueEyedPhan
Summary: Definition: An instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation. After nearly 20 years, Dudley Dursley has to experience just that when his son gets an all-too-familiar letter.
1. The Dursleys

"Mum, Dad, I'm home from school!"

Dudley Dursley heard his eldest son open and close the front door, and smiled slightly. It had been Jay's last day of primary school today, and in two months, at the end of summer, he was going off to secondary school.

"Dad, Dad, guess what? Guess what?" Jay said excitedly, his mop of strawberry blonde hair falling into his eyes as he ran towards his father. Jay Dursley was a lanky 11-year-old, with wide eyes and a mixture of blonde and red hair (where the redness came from, Dudley had no idea). He had a light splattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks, and his eyes were a rich chestnut colour.

Dudley chuckled. "What, Jay?"

Jay pushed his hair impatiently out of his eyes and sat down in the chair opposite Dudley. "We had an award ceremony today, and I got a prize for being the most improved in academics!"

Dudley watched his son beaming and waiting for a response from his father. The sight caused his own face to split into a huge grin.

"That's awesome, Jay! I'm very proud of you," Dudley said, standing up from his chair and wrapping his arms around Jay in a hug.

"What's this about my Jay-Jay getting an award?" Dudley's wife Jemma walked into the room at that moment, a dishrag over her shoulder and her hands on her hips.

While Jay told his mum what he had gotten at school, Dudley took the chance to marvel at the scene before him. There hadn't been a day that had gone by in the past 18 years where Dudley had not been stunned at his luck. Here he was, sitting in his own house, with his beautiful wife and 3 lovely children, two of which were currently upstairs. He smirked at the thought of what his fifteen-year-old self would have said if he could see him now.

Nineteen years ago, his parents and himself had been whisked out of the house by a short and overexcited old man called Dedalus Diggle, to flee from something that most people would not believe existed. But, if he had learnt anything at all in his years of living at Number 4, Privet Drive, it was to expect the unexpected.

Finally, after nearly a year in hiding, the Dursleys had been told that they were allowed to return to their home, and that the evil wizard they were hiding from was dead. As soon as they had gotten settled again, Dudley had taken his experience with dangerous situations to heart. He had done a bit of growing up in the years since the Dementor attack, and realised that life was too unpredictable to waste, and so he had set his resolve and joined the gym.

It had taken a long, long time, but Dudley had managed to shrink back down to a healthy weight, after spending his whole life being three times the size he was supposed to be. He focused on not only making sure he could see his toes, but turning his flab into muscle. It was at the gym that he had met his wife Jemma, and they had struck up an immediate friendship, which slowly blossomed. Now, he was a fit and healthy 36 year old with a gorgeous, loving wife, and he was proud of how far he had come since those dark days of bullying and uncertainty.

Dudley was drawn suddenly back to earth when he heard his wife yelling.

"Twins! Get downstairs now, you two haven't said hello to your father yet!"

Dudley braced himself for impact as he listened to two very loud pairs of feet stomping down the stairs.

"DADDY!"

Dudley held his arms wide and lifted his two youngest kids into his arms, hoisting them off the floor. Connor and Poppy Dursley were twins, and almost identical, except for the fact that they were different genders. Both 9 years old, they had wavy blonde hair and hazel-green eyes. Like Jay, they had a patch of light-coloured freckles on their faces, but unlike their older brother, who was gangly, they both had very small frames.

"Hey, Dad, a weird thing happened today," Jay said suddenly, frowning slightly. Dudley turned to face his eldest son once again and nodded for him to continue.

"Well, we were in art class, and Mr Rosenthal was going on about how literature isn't true art, and that all those young adult novels are just trashy fiction," Jay said, his face turning slightly pink as he spoke. It was common knowledge in the Dursley household that Jay loved books. With a passion. So whenever someone like his crabby old art teacher criticised them, Jay was not usually very happy about it.

"I was trying to explain to him that people say books are art as a metaphor, because they mean the way the words paint a picture in your mind, but he just wouldn't listen," continued Jay.

"Old coot," Dudley muttered, and Jay looked extremely pleased.

"Well, anyway, he was having a go at me for not appreciating the artistic spectrum or whatever, and I was just so mad at him about the book thing, and then all of a sudden, his socks turned blue! Both of them! I think some blue dye must've leaked through the floor from the room above, or something, but I mean…" Jay trailed off as he looked at his father uncertainly.

Dudley frowned. That was very odd. Obviously it was coincidental, because Dudley had been angry at his teachers loads of times at high school, and he'd never turned their socks blue… and what Jay had said made sense… but all the same, it was strange…

"That is weird, Jay! It probably was the dye, but what a coincidence, eh?" Dudley said finally, and he watched as Jay grinned at him. Dudley smiled back. Yes, he was extremely lucky to have the life he did. It was a stark contrast to the life of unpredictability he'd had before, but he loved it.


	2. A Surprise Visitor

Dudley awoke suddenly, early in the morning on the first of July. He sat up and looked around groggily, bleary-eyed and tousle-haired, and was still for a few seconds before he registered that someone was calling him from down the hall.

"Dad? Dad, could you come here, please?"

"Coming, Jay," Dudley answered. He ambled out the doorway of his bedroom and down the hallway until he reached the third doorway. He turned the knob and pushed it open, and was shocked at what he saw.

On the bed sat Jay, his arm held out at a right angle, and on it was perched a large barn owl. Clothes littered the floor at Jay's feet, and between one of Jay's shoes and a tee-shirt, Dudley could just make out the outline of an envelope.

Dudley stared. He couldn't see the envelope properly, but he had a vague idea of what it contained, and from what he could tell, Jay hadn't seen it yet.

"Why is there an owl in your room, Jay?" Dudley asked calmly, while he swiftly crossed the room and bent down, on the pretence of collecting dirty clothes from off the ground. He picked the letter off the floor and slipped it subtly into his pyjama pocket.

"I don't know, Dad. I mean, I had the window open because it was hot, but I never expected an owl to fly in!" Jay said incredulously, staring at his own arm.

Dudley smiled faintly. "It's not your fault, Jay. But would you be able to keep that owl in your room for me? Just for a little while," he added, as Jay stared at him.

"Alright, Dad."

Dudley smiled. He then pressed a finger to his mouth and indicated the twins' room next door. He did not want Connor and Poppy to wake up earlier than they needed to, as he knew from experience that 9 year olds were nightmares to deal with in the mornings. (A/N: I have experience with this, too. Little sisters are so fun.)

Dudley pulled the envelope out hurriedly once he was back in his bedroom and out of sight from Jay, and turned it over. He goggled at it.

"Dudley?" his wife said sleepily, staring up at him. "It's 6:30 in the morning. On a Saturday."

Dudley nodded absent-mindedly, his mind too full of memories to answer. HE was thinking back, back to that fateful day when his father's gun got twisted into a knot by what he supposed was a giant, and when the giant finally gave his cousin that letter… Dudley stared at the nearly identical envelope in his hands.

Mr J Dursley

The Last Bedroom

Number 6, Redvine Avenue

Godric's Hollow

The curly letters were written in emerald green ink, which was stunningly similar to the eye colour of his cousin.

With trembling hands, Dudley slit the parchment open and opened the letter. His eyes scanned the page, and they widened as he read.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

(Order of Merlin, First Class)

_Dear Mr. Dursley,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely_

_Neville Longbottom_

_Deputy Headmaster_

Dudley's heart fluttered. Jay was a wizard? But… neither himself nor Jemma had any magical blood in the family… except for his cousin, and Dudley highly doubted that the blood would be passed on two generations after it had appeared.

"What's that you're holding, Dudley?" Jemma asked, looking at Dudley blearily.

"An acceptance letter," Dudley said quietly, avoiding his wife's eyes. "To a school."

Jemma frowned. "But we got Jay's acceptance letter for Eton months ago. You didn't enrol him at any other schools, did you?"

Dudley shook his head. "You don't apply for this school. You get the letter, and you go."

Jemma made an impatient grasp for the letter, but Dudley held it out of her reach.

"Dudley, what are you doing?! What is in that letter?!"

Dudley took a deep breath and raised his head to meet Jemma's gaze, and her protests died away at the look on his face.

"Jemma, I need to tell you something. This letter… well, I've seen one just like it before, and you're going to think I'm crazy, but you've got to hear me out." Jemma nodded, but Dudley pressed on.

"Seriously, Jemma, promise me that you'll trust me on this," Dudley said, holding her hand in his and squeezing it gently.

Jemma nodded.

"This letter," he began, his voice trembling only slightly, "is from a school called Hogwarts, which is a - a magical school." Jemma made to interrupt, but Dudley held up his hand.

"Please let me finish, Jem," he asked quietly, and she fell silent.

"Jay has been sent a letter by this Hogwarts school because - well, because he's a wizard." Dudley cringed at the look on Jemma's face. He sounded insane, but he had to get it out.

"Jay has magical powers. He is a wizard, and this school is a school for magical people like Jay."

Dudley felt incredibly guilty that he couldn't provide more information, because his wife looked extremely confused.

"How do you know it's real? It could be a prank -"

"It's not a prank," Dudley said wearily. "I know it exists, because I knew someone who went there. When I was one, a child was left on my doorstep so that my parents could care for him. My cousin. He lived with us for eleven years, and then one day he got a letter exactly like this one, telling him he was a wizard and that he was to go to Hogwarts. Long story short, he did end up going, and he's done magic in front of me before. It's real."

Jemma gulped and stared at Dudley.

"I know I sound insane, but -"

"I believe you," Jemma said simply, giving Dudley a small smile. "But, oh, Dudley, what do we do?"

Dudley sat still for a second, then grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from his bedside table. He hastily wrote on the paper for a few minutes, then folded it up and called out.

"Jay! Come here, please, and bring the owl!"

There were a few muffled hoots and the sound of scuffling, and then the door opened and Jay came in, the owl perched on his shoulder contently. He brushed its feathers with his finger.

"Yeah, Dad?"

Dudley walked over to Jay and held out the paper. The owl obediently grabbed it with its beak and watched Dudley, waiting for instructions.

"Er -" Dudley said, suddenly feeling very stupid. What if it was just a regular owl? But then, there was the letter….

"Do you know where to go?" The owl blinked its huge eyes once and took off, flying out the window without so much as another hoot.

"Dad… what did you do that for?" Jay asked quietly.

"That was a letter to my cousin. He can help us."

"What's his name?" his wife and son asked at the same time.

Dudley sighed and thought of the name he had remembered multiple times over the years, but never spoken.

"Harry Potter."


	3. A Letter For Harry

"Dad, you've got a letter!" James Potter bellowed, knowing his father would only hear if he yelled. He always got so wrapped up in his cases for work that he tended to zone out and barely heard anything.

The sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs, and Harry appeared, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Who's it from, James?"

"I don't know," James admitted. "But it's made out of this weird white stuff…"

"It's called paper," Albus said, looking up from his book. "It's what Muggles use instead of parchment."

Harry and Albus smirked at James' dumbfounded expression. "But why would a Muggle be writing to Dad?"

Harry went over to the window and coaxed the barn owl inside with an owl pellet. It held out the letter to him, and he took it from the owl's beak.

_Harry,_

_I know you must be confused to be getting a letter from me, of all people, but I need your help. My son got a letter from Hogwarts, the same letter you got when we were eleven._

_I don't know what to tell him or my wife, and I know I don't deserve your help, but please reply. You're my only hope of helping them to understand the magical world._

Harry couldn't believe his eyes at what came next.

_Dudley Dursley_

Dudley had a wife? And son? And he was a wizard? Harry was shocked. He didn't know what to say. He had so many questions - Dudley could spell? And he was contacting Harry? With an owl? And his son was a wizard? His mouth fell open.

"Dad?" James said, trying to see the letter but failing.

"Dad, what is it?" Albus asked quietly, looking at his dad in concern.

"My - my cousin…" Harry stuttered, before turning on his heel and marching out the door.

"What was that about?" James asked Albus incredulously.

X x X

"Gin, what do I do? I can't tell him everything in a letter, and I…" Harry blurted out to his wife, who fixed him with a stare.

"Harry James Potter, I know I despise the man for what he did to you, but you cannot on any accounts leave his son stranded without any knowledge. He's about to dive headfirst into a world he doesn't understand, and Dudley obviously trusts you, so you have to help him. There's no other choice." Ginny Potter said wisely, before blowing a strand of flaming hair out of her eyes impatiently.

"So what do I say to him?" Harry asked.

"Invite him round for dinner, of course!" Ginny exclaimed. "That way, you can explain in person, and we can see what Dudley's like now. And introduce his son to Al, so he knows someone at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. He fished a quill out of the Muggle pen pot which was a gift from Hermione and began to scribble out a reply on a scrap of parchment. By the time he had finished the letter, the Hogwarts owl had gone, so his whistled for his own owl, Sirius. The stormy-coloured bird flew down to Harry's outstretched arm, and Harry tied the letter to its ankle.

"Take this to Dudley Dursley, okay?" he said gently to the owl, who hooted obediently and took off.

X x X

"Dad! Dad! The owl's back! But… it's a different owl…" Jay said, his voice trailing off as Dudley got up to fetch the owl and read the letter. He unrolled the parchment and the bird soared away. He began to read out loud to Jay and Jemma:

_Dudley,_

_My wife and I would like to invite you to dinner with us tonight, at my house in Godric's Hollow. That way, I can explain to your son properly and he can ask any questions he has, as can you. _

_It's good to hear from you._

_See you at 6,_

_Harry_

"Harry has a wife?" Dudley muttered under his breath in amazement. And they were going to dinner. After nearly 20 years, he would see his cousin again. And they lived in the same village! How odd. The Dursleys had only moved to Godric's Hollow 2 years ago, but he had never known that his cousin lived here, too.

"Dad?" a quiet voice said from behind him, and Dudley turned around to see Jay looking nervous.

"Yes, Jay?"

"Why is your cousin inviting us to dinner all of a sudden? And what did he mean by 'explain to your son properly'?"

Dudley sighed. "Jay, do you remember yesterday how you told me that Mr Rosenthal's socks turned blue?"

Jay nodded.

"Well, that wasn't dye dripping through the ceiling. It was magic."

Jay's eyes suddenly became very wide. "What?" he gasped.

"Jay, you're a wizard. You have magical powers."

"But… but… how - ?"

"I can't explain it to you, because I don't know enough about the magical world," said Dudley guiltily. "But my cousin Harry is also a wizard, and he's going to help you and Mum and I to understand. So don't worry," Dudley said, pulling his son into a tight hug. "You'll be okay."

Ten and a half hours later, as the Dursley family piled into the car, Jemma trying to pry apart the twins as they wrestled each other for the window seat, Dudley tried to take his own advice. Jay's face reflected how Dudley felt, which was as though he was about to throw up. It was time to see Harry again.


	4. At The Potters

At long last, the Dursleys pulled up outside a large and modest two-storey home. Dudley swallowed his guilt and nerves and stepped out of the car, grasping his wife's hand with one hand and his son's with the other. They walked up towards the door, and stepped onto the welcome mat. Dudley glanced down at Jay and, seeing the look on his face, gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.

Dudley took a deep breath, raised his fist and knocked shakily on the door.

The sound of footsteps echoed from inside the house and Dudley waited, clutching Jemma's hand as if his life depended on it.

Suddenly, the doorknob began turning very slowly. A chink of light appeared in the crack between the door and the wall.

Next second, the door was wide open and Dudley found himself staring at his cousin, who was staring just as much back.

Harry was tall and quite slim, his eyes bright green and a thin lightning-bolt scar on his forehead as always. He wore the same round glasses and his hair held the same untidiness that it always had.

After a few seconds of gaping at each other, Harry cleared his throat.

"Hey, Big D," he said, offering Dudley a small, tentative smile.

"Harry," Dudley whispered, staring.

A voice echoed from within the house, getting nearer and nearer to where they were standing.

"Harry, why on earth are you keeping them out there? Honestly, it's like you have no manners -" A woman with shocking red hair appeared suddenly behind Harry.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Ginny, Harry's wife. You must be Dudley," she said, holding her hand out and offering him a noticeably frosty smile. Dudley also noticed that Ginny's smile became much warmer when she introduced herself to his wife.

"Come inside. I'm sure my kids will introduce themselves to you," she said to Jay and the twins, smiling. She led them over to the couches and said, "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour.

Harry looked over at Dudley once they were sitting on the couch. He had lost a huge amount of weight since they had last seen each other, and he had also gotten taller. His hair was a darker shade of blonde, too. He looked healthy, and Harry could see that as Dudley looked over at his wife and kids, he saw that he was happy, too, which oddly suited Dudley. Sure, he always had everything he wanted, but Harry sensed that Dudley had never truly been happy until now.

"So, Harry," Dudley said, once they had gotten settled, "how are you?"  
"I'm great, actually. I've got my beautiful wife and kids," and here he looked over at Ginny, who rolled her eyes, "and I've got a job that I love. Speaking of the kids - Kids! Come in here, please, so you can meet our guests!"

A boy of about thirteen swaggered into the room, his auburn hair falling into his eyes and and a smirk upon his face, as he pushed his familiar round glasses up his nose. Behind him, a small red-haired girl with striking green eyes skipped in, laughing, and finally, a boy around the same age as Jay walked in.

Dudley's jaw dropped.

The boy as almost a carbon copy of his father, save the eyes and the lack of glasses. His eyes were the same shade of hazel as his mother's but every other feature was identical to Harry.

"This is James," Harry said, gesturing to the oldest boy, who nodded in greeting; "Al," he pointed to the younger boy, who smiled; "and Lily," he pointed to the little girl, who waved happily. Dudley suddenly had a moment of realisation. His aunt, whom he had never met, had been called Lily.

"Well, this is J - Jay," Dudley said, after a look from his son, "and the twins, Connor and Poppy." The twins smiled mischievously together. Harry's eyes widened, and he smiled faintly at Dudley. "As in the flower?" Dudley nodded, smiling back.

"So, Dad, why the sudden family reunion?" James asked, looking at his dad.

Harry and Dudley looked at each other. They knew they had some explaining to do.

"Well, um -"

"I think we -"

"Maybe we should start at at the beginning," Harry said. "That would help everyone understand why you're here, and in Jay's case, what being a wizard really means."

Jay looked at Harry. "So, it really… does exist?" he said quietly.

Harry nodded slowly. He turned to his own children. "You three need to listen, as well, because some of this story even you don't know about."

Once everyone was seated, including Ginny, Harry began to speak. "Please don't interrupt us, unless it's really important. Dudley and I have to tell the story together." He glanced at Dudley, who nodded.

"On the night of Halloween, in 1981, my parents were killed by a very evil wizard, called Lord Voldemort," Harry said, and Ginny flinched slightly but did not speak.

"I was taken to the only other family I had - my aunt and uncle, or Dudley's mum and dad. For eleven years, we lived a normal life together -"

"Normal for me," Dudley said. "I got absolutely everything I wanted. Harry was shoved under the stairs, in a cupboard."

Everyone gasped.

"But weird things would always happen when Harry was around. My friends and I - well, we didn't like Harry very much, and we did things like chase Harry around the school, when suddenly he'd end up on the roof. Mum would shave his hair because it was too messy, but it would grow back the day after -"

"And on Dudley's eleventh birthday, I made the glass disappear from a snake enclosure at the zoo," Harry said, smirking at the expression on James' face.

"But then the letters started coming. Letters addressed to me, when I'd never had any friends before. Uncle Vernon was not too happy about this."

Dudley snorted. "Understatement of the year. He basically upped and moved us all about a dozen times, but the letters kept coming. So we went to a broken-down shack on a rock, in the sea. But that didn't stop them."

"Hagrid the half-giant came to the hut to deliver my letter in person, and that was when I found out about the wizarding world. Hagrid explained to me what I was, and why I was getting the letters to Hogwarts, although I didn't believe it at first," Harry said.

"That's not all he did," Dudley said, grimacing but with laughter in his eyes. "He also turned Dad's rifle into a pretzel with his bare hands and gave me a pig's tail when I tried to eat Harry's first ever birthday cake."

There were a few stifled sniggers, coming from the general direction of the children, although both Ginny and Jemma smirked.

"Anyway, I went off to Hogwarts, and I met Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, and Ginny here, and I guess the rest is history," Harry said, smiling. He turned to Jay. "You're not the only one who's never heard of Hogwarts when they get the letter, Jay. My best friend, Hermione, has Muggle parents, and she was the smartest person in my year."

Jay stared at Harry. "Muggle?" he said, confused. A look of recognition passed over Harry's face. "A Muggle is what we call non-magical people. So, your mum and dad are Muggles, which makes you Muggleborn. Hermione is Muggleborn, and my mum was Muggleborn."

Jay nodded, his eyes wide. "So Hogwarts is a school for magical people, like me… What subjects do they teach there? Where even is the school? How do you do magic? Is there a library? Are there-"

Harry held his hand up and Jay fell silent. "Slow down, Jay," Harry said, but he was smiling.

"I just have so many questions," Jay said breathlessly.

"And I can answer them all," said Harry. "Okay, so Hogwarts doesn't teach normal subjects, like math or science. The main subjects are Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic and Defence Against the Dark Arts, although there are electives that you can choose once you get older, like Ancient Runes, Divination and Care Of Magical Creatures."

Jay's mouth was hanging open. "That sounds so cool!"

Harry grinned. "It is, although I hated History of Magic. The teacher is as dull as anything. So, you wanted to know where the school is? It's a boarding school in Scotland, and the train goes from Platform 9 and 3/4 at the start and end of every holiday."

Jay frowned. "9… and 3/4?"

Harry laughed. "It's between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station. You just go through the barrier between the platforms and there you are. It's quite simple. Anyway, you do magic with a wand. There's a place in London where you can go to get all your school supplies. I could take you, if you want, when we go. Magic is not too complicated, but you do need to get the wand movements and incantations right -"

"As shown here," James announced, hearing his father's statement. He raised his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

To all five of the Dursleys' astonishment, one of the cushions on the couch began to hover in the air, unsupported. Harry pointed his wand at James angrily. "Rictusempra!" he exclaimed.

James suddenly keeled over and began laughing hysterically. He rolled around on the floor, clutching his stomach. After a few seconds, Harry raised his wand again and muttered, "Finite." At once, James stopped laughing and he stood up, rubbing the back of his neck.

"James," Harry said firmly, "you know you're not allowed to do magic outside of school! How many times do I have to tell you!" James had the good grace to blush. "Sorry, Dad," he said quietly. "I just wanted to show everyone what magic looks like -"

"Which your father or I could've done, seeing as we're of age!" Ginny said sternly. She crossed her arms over her chest. Harry walked forwards and ruffled his son's hair fondly. "It's alright, James. Just don't do it again."

"Alright, Dad," James said, perking up at once, and he bounded out of the room.

"Sorry about that," Harry said, turning to face the Dursleys, who looked stunned. "Underage magic is forbidden outside of Hogwarts, and James has done it on more than a few occasions."

Harry went over to Jay. "To answer you last question, there is definitely a library at the school. Do you like books?"

Jay nodded enthusiastically. Harry smiled. "So does Al. I'll get him to take you up to his room."

Albus walked over and held out his hand. Jay shook it. "I'm Al," he said, smiling. "I'm Jay," Jay replied, grinning back. They walked over to the stairs together and disappeared.


	5. What A Wizard's Room Looks Like

"This is my room," Albus said proudly as he opened the door. Jay's mouth fell open. Hanging above Al's bed like a chandelier was a working model of the solar system. Two of his walls were lined with books: thick, dusty books that were falling apart, thin ones that looked suspiciously like comics and bright, colourful books with crisp pages. The wall that contained the doorway they were currently standing in was filled with posters that read 'Marvin Miggs, the Mad Muggle', what looked like a wizarding band called The Hippogriffs, and dozens of photos that were moving. The people inside them were laughing and running around; Jay recognised Harry, James, Lily and Ginny, and he also saw a multitude of red-headed people that he did not know.

The final wall, which was situated behind Al's bed, was painted a rich green, and was draped with green and yellow hangings. There was a poster of a sporting team on the wall. This was all on one side of the wall, though. The other half was blank and white, and contained nothing at all.

"I'm waiting to see which Hogwarts house I get sorted into before I paint that wall. They've all got good traits, but one has a bit of a bad reputation and James keeps teasing me about it," Al said, pulling Jay into the room. "Do you like it?"

Jay stared around, drinking in the sight before him. "It's incredible," he said in awe, and Albus beamed. "Thanks. I did it all myself." Jay turned around and pointed at one of the posters on the wall. "Who's Marvin Miggs?" he asked, bemused, and Albus began talking excitedly.

"He's a character in a comic I like," said Al, pulling out one of the many he had tucked in his bookshelf. "I've got all the older copies, because my uncle Ron used to collect them when he was a kid. That's him, there," Al said, pointing at one of the many redheads in the pictures.

Jay and Al spent the next half an hour poring over the books and comics in Al's room, stopping occasionally so Al could explain a wizarding term to Jay. Neither of them heard their mothers calling out to them that dinner was ready.

"By the way, Al's not my real name. It's a nickname," Al said, once he had finished explaining what a Chocolate Frog was. Jay had found a wrapper underneath Al's bed.

Jay looked at Al. "What's your real name?"

"Albus," said Al. "My dad named me after two Headmasters of Hogwarts, and Albus Dumbledore was the most famous one ever."

Jay smiled. "It's okay. My real name's not Jay, either. It's -"

"JONATHAN!" Jemma shrieked up the stairs, and the two boys jumped out of their skins.

Jay winced. "Yeah. That. Mum only calls me Jonathan when I'm in trouble, so we'd better get down there."

When they appeared at the bottom of the stairs a few moments later, Jemma sighed. "Finally, Jay!"

Jay smiled guiltily. "Sorry, Mum," he said. "Al and I were looking at his comics."

Ginny and Jemma smiled at each other, glad that their sons were getting along.

"Dinner's ready, boys," Ginny said, leading them to their seats at a large wooden table.

"I call dibs on the head!" James yelled, ignoring his mother's dangerous glare and leaping into the seat situated at the end of the table. Jay laughed, and James winked at him mischievously. Al rolled his eyes.

They sat down, Jay in the seat closest to James and Al beside him. Harry sat across from Jay, and Dudley sat next to Harry. The two older women came next, and then at the other end of the table sat Lily, who was whispering excitedly with Poppy, who was closest to her. Connor, who was next to Al, pretended to look bored, but he glanced at his sister every few seconds, trying to catch snippets of their conversation.

As they tucked into their roast pork and veggies, Jay began listening to Harry and James' discussion, and what he was hearing made no sense. He looked at his father, who had an identical expression of confusion on his face.

"James, there is absolutely no way the Cannons will beat Puddlemere, Wood's way too good of a Keeper and some of the Cannons are still on Firebolts!" Harry said firmly to his son. James shook his head.

"You've just got a soft spot for him because he was on the Gryffindor team with you! Josh Bletchey is one of the best Seekers the world's ever seen, he's even better than Viktor Krum! And _you_!"

Ginny looked up then and fixed her son with a stare. "You did _not_ just say that."

James pleaded with his mother, trying and failing to make her see reason. "But he _is_, Mum! The Chudley Cannons are one of the best teams in the league, and I don't care what any of you say, they'd outplay Puddlemere at a game of Quidditch any day!"

Harry sighed resignedly and Ginny rolled her eyes. "If Ron's first child wasn't two years younger than you, I'd have sworn that we'd switched kids at the hospital. He's brainwashed you with orange and black!"

Albus laughed. "James, Puddlemere are probably _the_ best team in the league. They beat the Tornadoes, and they're incredible. If you can't see that, then there's something seriously wrong with you."

"Oh, go roll in Bubotuber pus, the lot of you," James snapped.

Jay spoke up then. "Sorry to interrupt, but - what on earth are you all talking about?" He looked nervous, and Harry's expression softened.

"Sorry, Jay. I forgot you guys don't know what Quidditch is." At the looked on Jay's face, Harry laughed. "Quidditch is a wizarding sport, kind of like football, except there are four balls and it's played on brooms."

Jay goggled at Harry. "Like… flying ones?"

James sniggered, but Harry silenced him with a look. "Yeah. It's kind of hard to wrap your head around at first, but once you've got the basics, you'll get it. James and I were just talking about some of the Quidditch teams in England."

Dudley spoke up then. "There are wizarding sports?"

"Just Quidditch," Harry replied. "Although there have been a couple of illegal magic-carpet-flying tournaments held over the years." The Dursleys stared at him. "I'm serious."

"Can you explain the rules?" Jay asked curiously, and Harry had just opened his mouth when a huge crash echoed from the hallway. The sound of heavy footsteps rang through the room, and Jay's eyes widened with fear.

"Harry! Bloody hell, what is your door made of?! Lead?" a voice exclaimed, and a second later the man from the picture in Albus' room appeared; tall, freckly and with a mop of flaming red hair, identical to Ginny's. Behind him, a woman spoke, sounding shocked.

"Ronald!" she said, and a second later she had appeared beside the red-haired man. She was shorter, with bushy brown hair and kind eyes. They were both wearing long, billowing robes, which looked very odd to Jay. "You can't just blast through the door of your best friend's house!"

"Sure I can," Ron replied smoothly. Albus laughed.

"Ron! Why are you here?" Harry asked loudly, clearly torn between shock and amusement. Ron frowned. 'Didn't you just ask me to come here?"

Harry shook his head. Ron pulled out a small mirror. "One of your darling children just used this and told me you wanted me to come to yours, and to bring the kids."

Harry swivelled around to face James, who shrugged nonchalantly. Al shook his head, and slowly, Harry look towards the other end of the table. There sat Lily, a huge grin on her face and a shard of mirror in her hand.

Harry stared. "Lily! I thought I told you not to take stuff from my office!" he said, stunned.

Lily giggled. "But I wanted to talk to Ron! I saw you talking to him the other day, in the mirror. Connor was getting bored, so I wanted him to bring Hugo!"

Ron frowned. "Connor? Who's…" He finally noticed the five extra people at the dining table. "Woah! Guests that aren't Weasleys, Longbottoms or Scamanders?" Beside him, the brown-haired woman suddenly gasped.

"Harry, you didn't," she half-whispered, and Ron stared at her. "What is it, Hermione?"

"I know who that is," she said, looking straight at Dudley. He gulped. Obviously, Harry had told his friends about him, and Dudley suspected they weren't all happy memories.

Harry smiled sheepishly.

"Hi, Dudley. Nice to finally meet you," Hermione said, smiling kindly but with the same frostiness that Ginny had used.

Ron froze, his eyes wide. He stood silently for what seemed like minutes, and then said, "That is _not_ Dudley."

Dudley simply looked at him blankly. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"It is," said the girl whose name was Hermione, walking forwards. "_Is_ your name Dudley?"

Dudley nodded, then in an attempt to look more grown up, he replied. "Yes. I'm Dudley Dursley. Nice to meet you both."

Ron rounded on Harry and stared at him for a long time. "Why in the bloody name of Merlin is Dudley in your house?" he said finally.

Harry gestured towards Dudley's oldest child. "His son is a wizard, and he asked me for help. I couldn't refuse." Harry smiled at Jay. "Jay, Dudley, this is Ron and Hermione, my kids' aunt and uncle and my best friends. Jay, this is the lady I was telling you about before, the one with Muggle parents."

Hermione smiled kindly at Jay, and he instantly felt better. He wasn't the only one, then.

Ron stood still for a second, apparently thinking hard. Then, he strode towards Dudley and held his hand out. "Ron Weasley," he said, and Dudley shook his hand. "Dudley Dursley, although you probably already figured that out." The ghost of a smile flickered across Ron's face.

**Hello, everyone! I love this chapter because of the description of Al's room, the dramatic reveal of Jay's name (Jonathan!) and because of the line "Go roll in Bubotuber pus," so I hope you liked it too. If you don't read Coffee Shots, my other fic, I said that I'll be posting much more regularly because I've got a lot of free time on my hands and have lots of ideas. Until next time! **

**PS: Thank you all for the amazing reviews, I really appreciate them!**


	6. Quidditch Conversations

"Hey, Ron, help me explain Quidditch to Dudley and Jay. I would say Connor and Poppy as well, but they look busy," Harry said, nodding over to where the twins sat with Lily and Hugo in a huddle.

"Quidditch is a sport of the gods, although Merlin knows it's difficult enough to explain," Ron said, rubbing his hands together.

"There are four balls," Harry said, while Ron grabbed a piece of parchment out of his robes and began to draw. "The Quaffle, the two Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch." He glanced at Ron's drawing and scoffed. "That doesn't look like a Quaffle, it looks like an egg," he said, smirking. Ron glared at him.

"There are three Chasers on each team. The Chasers throw the Quaffle through the goal hoops at each end of the pitch," said Harry, and Jay and Dudley nodded.

"Meanwhile, the team's Keeper is at the other end of the pitch, guarding the other team's goals. Kind of like a goalie in football. By the way, there are three goal hoops for each team, and they're about 50 feet high." Harry said. Dudley stared.

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle into the massive goal hoops and the Keeper defends the other team's goal," Jay repeated, and Harry nodded, smiling.

"There are two Beaters on each team. The Beaters fly around, carrying bats, so that they can hit the Bludgers towards the opposing team's players." At Jay's confused look, Harry added, "Bludgers are bewitched balls that try to knock people off their brooms, although there haven't been any major injuries since 1997."

Ron scoffed. "That wasn't because of the Bludger, that was because that idiot Cormac Mclaggen couldn't Keep to save his life and decided to hit a Bludger at you!"

Dudley frowned. Did Ron just mean in the crowd, or had Harry been up in the air with the Chasers and Keepers and Quaffle and Bludgers and Beaters?

Harry chuckled. "Anyway, the last ball is called the Golden Snitch. It's a little smaller than a golf ball -" at this, Ron looked puzzled "- and has wings. Basically, the Snitch flies around the pitch extremely fast until it's caught. It's the Seeker's job to find the Snitch. Each team has one Seeker, and if their Seeker catches the Snitch, they get 150 points, so -"

"So they win," James butted in, apparently over his tantrum. Harry frowned.

"Not always, James. Viktor Krum caught the Snitch but Ireland won because they had so many points back in 1994. Remember, George was telling you about his bet with the Head of the Department of Magical Sports and Games?"

James rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Whatever," but Dudley was thinking. _George_. He had heard that name before, too, but he couldn't place it.

"I think Harry's conveniently forgotten to mention that he was the youngest Seeker in a century," Ginny said, and Dudley's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "You're not allowed on the team in first year, but Harry got an exception because he was so good."

"Yeah, that and there was no one else," said Harry, embarrassed.

"_You played Quidditch_?" Dudley exclaimed, and Harry nodded. "Wow, Harry, I never knew," he said, smiling. Harry returned the favour.

"So, Dudley, what do you do?"

After Dudley, Jemma, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione explained their jobs - which took a lot longer than Dudley would have expected because of the wizard-to-Muggle translation - Dudley checked his watch. He did a double-take.

"It's nearly 11:30!" he announced, and Jemma's head snapped up. She groaned.

"The twins are going to be a nightmare tomorrow!" she said, and Dudley smacked a hand to his head. The other four parents laughed.

"Believe me, we know what it's like," Hermione said, smiling. "Lily and Hugo get up to all sorts of mischief when they're together. And Ron doesn't exactly help matters."

"That was not my fault!" Ron exclaimed. "George was feeding them lollies behind my back, I didn't -"

"You'd best be off, then," Harry said loudly over Ron's protests and James' roaring laughter. "It's been wonderful having you here. It seems like Jay really enjoyed it. Speaking of, do you want to come with us to Diagon Alley next week to pick up Jay's schoolbooks and things?" Dudley nodded gratefully.

The family of five began making their way to the door, various Weasleys and Potters trailing after them.

Dudley caught Harry's wrist as everyone else said their goodbyes, Al and Jay promising to write each other and Lily and Hugo pressing something into Connor and Poppy's hands. "Harry, I - I cant thank you enough for this, you've done so much for us, it was -"

Harry held up a hand. "Its fine, Dudley. My pleasure. It's been good seeing you again."

The Dursleys hurried out the door. Harry called out.

"See you, Big D."

Dudley smiled.

X x X

"Oh, wow, Dad, that was so fun! Your cousin is the best!" Jay said excitedly once they had all piled back into the car. "Al's room is amazing; there's so many books! And he has a working solar system and all these posters of Quidditch and Muggles and things…"

Next to him, the twins were arguing over something. "Give it to me!" Poppy shrieked. Connor shook his head. "No way! It's mine!"

Dudley sighed and Jemma turned towards the back. "For heaven's sake, whatever it is, why don't you two just share it?" The twins blinked, and then they began whispering excitedly again, heads together.

"Dudley, that was really great," Jemma said softly, and Dudley glanced at her. "Harry and Ginny are both wonderful people and I'm really glad Jay hit it off with Al, he seems like a really lovely boy. And the twins and Lily! It's like they've known each other for ever!"

Dudley grinned. "She seems just as mischievous as they are." He sighed contently. "I'm glad Harry helped us, so that you can understand the wizarding world. He's a good person, and a good cousin." Jemma nodded beside him and rested her hand on his knee.

Once they had arrived at home, Dudley was slightly alarmed to see a flickering light in the darkness. He switched the lights on and waited patiently until the twins had barged up the stairs to enter the house. The blinking light turned out to be his phone, and it was flashing with a bunch of notifications, all missed calls from his mother. He winced. This would be fun.

He punched in the passcode and rang Petunia Dursley. She picked up almost immediately.

"Dudley! Finally! For heaven's sake, I've been worried sick! Where _were_ you?"

Dudley took a deep breath. "We were having dinner with some friends," he said. It was the truth - just not all of it.

Petunia sighed snootily. "You never told me you were doing that. Which _friends_ were these?"

"Yes, well, it only got organised today," Dudley said wearily. "We were having dinner with Harry."

"Harry? Harry who?" his mother snapped. "If this Harry can't even be organised enough to -"

"Mum, it wasn't Harry's fault, we had to organise it quickly after we got some important news."

"Dudley, what are you talking about? And for the last time, Harry _who_?"

Dudley couldn't hide it any longer. He braced himself.

"Harry Potter."

Petunia was silent for so long that Dudley almost thought the line had gone dead. Finally, she spoke.

"May I ask _why_?" she said stiffly.

"We needed advice," Dudley said quickly. "Jay's a wizard. Harry helped explain everything to us."

There was a huge intake of breath from the other end. "_What_?" Petunia whispered.

"Jay's a wizard, Mum," Dudley said again.

"I - I don't know what to - Dudley -"

"Mum, this isn't -"

There was a silence.

She had hung up.


	7. Another Reunion

"Dudley, can you get the door for me, please?" Jemma called.

Dudley lay his fork down beside his plate of bacon and eggs and stood up, rubbing his eyes. It was a Tuesday, the fourth of July, and it had been three days since Petunia had ended their phone call without a word. Jay, Connor and Poppy had been over the moon ever since their trip to the Potters', and although Dudley had been really pleased with how it all went, he was worried about the situation with his mother.

He walked swiftly down the hallway and opened the door. To his utmost surprise, Harry, James and Albus Potter were standing there, looking slightly windswept but smiling. James yelled, "SURPRISE! WE'VE COME TO TAKE YOU SHOPPING!"

Dudley blinked twice and then said, "Sorry?"

Harry chuckled. " We thought that since you're new to this whole wizarding thing, we'd take you shopping for school supplies."

Dudley nodded and turned over his shoulder slightly. "Jay! Harry, Al and James are here!"

There was a loud clutter from the kitchen and within seconds Jay was at the door, his hair sticking up in all directions, his striped pyjamas crumpled and a dollop of porridge on the side of his mouth. He quickly swallowed his mouthful of porridge and straightened up.

"Hey," Jay said, self-consciously flattening his hair. The three Potters waved and Dudley beckoned for them to come inside.

"Would you like any bacon and eggs? Porridge? Toast?" Jemma said as they walked down the hall.

Harry shook his head and shot a stern look at James' hopeful gaze. "We already ate, but thank you anyway," he said, smiling. "We were wondering if we could take two of your boys out shopping for school? There's only one place to get wizarding supplies, and it's very secretive, so we didn't want to leave you guys stranded and decided to bring you along. Is that alright?"

Jemma dusted her hands off on her clothes and smiled widely. "Of course it is, Harry," she said. "It means I won't have to do the shopping for a change and I can get stuck into work." Jemma was an interior designer, but she also did all the artwork for her projects and was very creative.

"Cool! I'm going to get changed. Want to see my room, Al?" The two raced upstairs without a glance backwards. James rolled his eyes and followed them up.

"Is this alright to wear to wherever we're going?" Dudley asked Harry, gesturing to his outfit with concern. Harry nodded. "I mean, we're going into London, but wizards all wear robes anyway so I don't think they're going to care what Muggle clothes you're wearing." Harry himself was wearing a navy blue robe with a silver clasp, although his children were wearing Muggle clothing.

"How much money do you think I'll need?" Dudley asked worriedly. Harry sat up. "It'll be hard to explain all the currency to you, and I'll do that later, but… School supplies aren't too cheap to begin with, Dudley, but you don't need to repurchase much after the first year. It'll work out fine if you find it expensive now, because you won't need to spend that amount every year," Harry said, and Dudley nodded in understanding. "I'd estimate around -"

At that second, they heard the front door slam and a set of heels clopping up the hallway. A snappish voice wafted through to the kitchen. "Honestly, Dudley, it's like you never expect visitors!"

Dudley gripped the side of the kitchen bench tightly once he recognised the voice. Harry's normally pale face had turned the colour of paper and he looked at Dudley desperately. Jemma frowned slightly and half-whispered, "What's wrong?" but Dudley simply looked at her as desperately as Harry was looking at him.

Petunia Dursley stepped into the kitchen: curled hair bouncing, heels chinking on the wooden floor and lips pursed horsily. Her large salmon pink handbag swung heavily on her arm.

"I hope you still have some of those brownies your wife makes me when I'm stressed, because I need one right now. Dudley, we need to -" She skidded to a stop, eyes huge. Dudley and Harry both winced and Harry turned slowly so that Petunia could get a look at who was under that mop of black hair.

Dudley half rose out of his chair, waiting to defend Harry, but his mother seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Her skin had gone utterly pale, and with the red tinted blush painted on her cheeks, she resembled a circus clown.

She tentatively took a step forward, looking betrayed. Harry didn't seem to know what to do with his eyes. They darted around the room, never stopping long and constantly flicking back to Dudley, who could only stare right back.

"Y- you," she finally croaked out, and Harry visibly shrunk back. With all the strength he could muster, he formed a coherent sentence. "Hi, Aunt Petunia," he said weakly.

Petunia took another step forward and exhaled shakily. "You," she said again, blinking. She reached out slightly before thinking better of it and pulling back, fist clenched. "You look so different."

"Dad! Dad, guess what?" A voice yelled from upstairs. James came bounding down, two at a time, and came to a halt right in the kitchen. Once he realised all was not well, his smile faded. "Who's that?" he said, looking at Petunia. Two more sets of feet came racing down the stairs, and soon Al and Jay were by James' side. Jay smiled. "Hi, Grandma."

But Petunia only had eyes for the Potters. "Are those your children?" she breathed.

Harry looked extremely uncomfortable. "Uh, yes. This is James," he gestured to the redhead, "and Albus," he motioned towards Al. "He looks - just like you," Petunia said.

Harry nodded. "And I've got one more at home - Lily."

Petunia gasped almost inaudibly, and she turned away from both of them, hiding her face. "Why are you here?" she choked out harshly, all softness gone from her voice.

"Mum," Dudley said, speaking for the first time since she had entered. "This whole thing - it's new to me, too. But I'm not going to push Jay away just because he's different. And if Jay being a wizard means that I have to come into contact with Harry, then I'm definitely willing." He smiled at Harry.

"Harry was going to take Jay and me shopping for school things," Dudley said. "That's why he's here. He's not holding any grudges against you, Mum."

Harry cleared his throat. "He's right, Aunt Petunia. I never liked living with you Dursleys, but I'm completely over it. I've got a beautiful wife and family and I love my life. It's not your fault you treated me like that - it was all you knew."

Petunia turned slightly and looked at him questioningly over her shoulder. Harry gave her a small smile. "A teacher at my school had to tell me something in order for me to defeat the dark wizard Voldemort, but Voldemort killed him before he had a chance. So he gave me some of his memories to explain everything - why he hated me, what I was supposed to do, his actions - all of it."

Petunia turned to face Harry fully and sat down on the couch, eyes blazing. He sighed. "They were memories of my mum. Him, and you, and how she found out she was a witch. It was him, Aunt Petunia," he said, as Petunia's quizzical expression had turned to one of shock. "It was Severus Snape. He showed me how jealous you were of my mum, and what his intentions were behind being friends with her. And I can see why you hated me. Because I reminded you of what you never had, and what your sister did."

There was a tear slipping down Petunia's cheek now. "All I ever wanted was a real sister," she said bitterly. "But Lily - she never talked to me about things that I understood. And that horrible boy - he hated me because I wasn't special like _Lily_. Your father was never like that, but by then I'd made my decision. So when you came to us, I was too angry at the sister I'd lost to be able to treat you the way you deserved."

She stepped forward. "I'm - sorry. I don't want to raise my grandson like I raised you, H-Harry." Dudley didn't think he could remember her ever saying Harry's name in all his life. "He's so important to me, and I want to start off on the right foot this time. I'm not angry at Lily anymore, and I was never angry at you - I was mistaken." Petunia's watery gaze fell on Jay. "I'm so proud of you, Jay. You're going to be amazing at magic - just like Harry. Just like my sister."

Harry walked forwards and took Petunia's hand after she was finished with Jay. "Thank you, Aunt Petunia," he said, shaking her hand. She nodded, looking a bit flustered.

"Who wants to get going? We've got a lot of shopping to do!" Harry exclaimed, and the three boys rushed towards the door. As Dudley and Harry walked out, they looked at each other. "Thank you," Dudley said, and Harry nodded once. Dudley smiled. They were going on an adventure into the proper wizarding world for the first time.

"Jay, your shoes are on the wrong feet!"

"Dammit!"

**Hey everyone! It's... been a while. It's a long story, but just imagine writer's block mixed with me not liking this chapter mixed with my laptop with all my pics on it breaking mixed with school. But it's finally up! I wasn't sure what to do with Petunia, so I hope you liked it? I'm in a writing kind of mood so hopefully the next one will be up soonish. Don't worry, I don't care how long it takes me, I am NOT abandoning this fic. I will persevere to the end. And thank you ll for your lovely reviews! They always make me smile.**

**Until next time xx**


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